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+0.21 The Tears of Donald Knuth (2015) (cacm.acm.org)
80 points by todsacerdoti 2 days ago | 55 comments on HN | Mild positive Editorial · vv3.4 · 2026-02-24
Article Heatmap
Preamble: +0.21 — Preamble P Article 1: ND — Freedom, Equality, Brotherhood Article 1: No Data — Freedom, Equality, Brotherhood 1 Article 2: +0.10 — Non-Discrimination 2 Article 3: ND — Life, Liberty, Security Article 3: No Data — Life, Liberty, Security 3 Article 4: ND — No Slavery Article 4: No Data — No Slavery 4 Article 5: ND — No Torture Article 5: No Data — No Torture 5 Article 6: ND — Legal Personhood Article 6: No Data — Legal Personhood 6 Article 7: ND — Equality Before Law Article 7: No Data — Equality Before Law 7 Article 8: ND — Right to Remedy Article 8: No Data — Right to Remedy 8 Article 9: ND — No Arbitrary Detention Article 9: No Data — No Arbitrary Detention 9 Article 10: ND — Fair Hearing Article 10: No Data — Fair Hearing 10 Article 11: ND — Presumption of Innocence Article 11: No Data — Presumption of Innocence 11 Article 12: -0.25 — Privacy 12 Article 13: ND — Freedom of Movement Article 13: No Data — Freedom of Movement 13 Article 14: ND — Asylum Article 14: No Data — Asylum 14 Article 15: ND — Nationality Article 15: No Data — Nationality 15 Article 16: ND — Marriage & Family Article 16: No Data — Marriage & Family 16 Article 17: ND — Property Article 17: No Data — Property 17 Article 18: ND — Freedom of Thought Article 18: No Data — Freedom of Thought 18 Article 19: +0.52 — Freedom of Expression 19 Article 20: +0.25 — Assembly & Association 20 Article 21: ND — Political Participation Article 21: No Data — Political Participation 21 Article 22: ND — Social Security Article 22: No Data — Social Security 22 Article 23: +0.13 — Work & Equal Pay 23 Article 24: ND — Rest & Leisure Article 24: No Data — Rest & Leisure 24 Article 25: ND — Standard of Living Article 25: No Data — Standard of Living 25 Article 26: +0.24 — Education 26 Article 27: +0.23 — Cultural Participation 27 Article 28: +0.18 — Social & International Order 28 Article 29: +0.33 — Duties to Community 29 Article 30: +0.08 — No Destruction of Rights 30
Negative Neutral Positive No Data
Aggregates
Weighted Mean +0.21 Unweighted Mean +0.18
Max +0.52 Article 19 Min -0.25 Article 12
Signal 11 No Data 20
Confidence 15% Volatility 0.18 (Medium)
Negative 1 Channels E: 0.6 S: 0.4
SETL +0.13 Editorial-dominant
Evidence: High: 1 Medium: 4 Low: 6 No Data: 20
Theme Radar
Foundation Security Legal Privacy & Movement Personal Expression Economic & Social Cultural Order & Duties Foundation: 0.15 (2 articles) Security: 0.00 (0 articles) Legal: 0.00 (0 articles) Privacy & Movement: -0.25 (1 articles) Personal: 0.00 (0 articles) Expression: 0.39 (2 articles) Economic & Social: 0.13 (1 articles) Cultural: 0.23 (2 articles) Order & Duties: 0.20 (3 articles)
Domain Context Profile
Element Modifier Affects Note
Privacy -0.05
Article 12
Google Analytics tracking (gtag) present with minimal privacy controls visible in page content; ACM membership and subscription model implies some privacy protections but tracking infrastructure evident.
Terms of Service
No ToS content present on page; presumed to exist on parent domain but not observable on-page.
Accessibility +0.10
Article 2 Article 26
Screen reader support present (.screen-reader-only, skip-link elements); responsive design with media queries; font stack optimization; appears accessible but full accessibility audit not possible from provided content.
Mission +0.15
Article 19 Article 27
ACM is professional computing association; CACM is flagship peer-reviewed publication; mission supports knowledge dissemination and professional discourse aligned with Article 19 freedoms.
Editorial Code +0.10
Article 19
Opinion section editorial format suggests editorial standards for peer-reviewed professional publication; no explicit editorial code visible but ACM standards imply editorial integrity.
Ownership 0.00
ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) is non-profit professional organization; neutral structural position.
Access Model -0.10
Article 26 Article 27
Membership/subscription model evident (site-header-member-login-link, usage-logger with DOI); paywall structure limits free access to some content, though ACM provides open access to selected articles.
Ad/Tracking -0.08
Article 12
Google Analytics (G-XYTVD2CXR4) and parsing.com recommendations embedded; standard web analytics but represents privacy consideration.
HN Discussion 6 top-level comments
atomic128 2026-02-22 23:43 UTC link
Imagine Knuth's heartbreak when he sees how LLMs have perverted the practical application of the art of computer programming. ("The LLM understands so I don't have to.") It's sad it happened during his lifetime. Has he commented on the topic? Anyone have a link?
smitty1e 2026-02-23 00:05 UTC link
Title should note that this is a 2015 post.
oh_my_goodness 2026-02-23 00:40 UTC link
What a weird, bitchy article. Knuth might be wrong but I gave up.
kazinator 2026-02-23 01:48 UTC link
LinkedIn version of the history of CS:

In the beginning was assembly language, then we got C, followed by C++ bringing in OOP and Java making it safe, ...

gnabgib 2026-02-23 02:28 UTC link
(2015) At the time (180 points, 55 comments) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8796212
svat 2026-02-23 15:46 UTC link
The 2014 talk of Knuth that is being discussed (transcription published later in 2021): “Let’s Not Dumb Down the History of Computer Science”: https://cacm.acm.org/opinion/lets-not-dumb-down-the-history-...

HN discussion from 2021: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25907481

Score Breakdown
+0.21
Preamble Preamble
Low C: Opinion piece format suggests commitment to discourse on human dignity and computing ethics
Editorial
+0.20
Structural
+0.10
SETL
+0.14
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Preamble values (dignity, justice, peace) are contextually relevant to computing ethics discourse but not explicitly affirmed in visible page content. Format and journal mission provide mild positive signal.

ND
Article 1 Freedom, Equality, Brotherhood

No observable content addressing equal dignity and rights in abstract sense; ND appropriate.

+0.10
Article 2 Non-Discrimination
Low P: Accessibility features (screen reader, responsive design) enable non-discriminatory access
Editorial
ND
Structural
+0.10
SETL
ND
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

No editorial content on non-discrimination observed. Structural accessibility improvements provide mild positive signal for disability inclusion.

ND
Article 3 Life, Liberty, Security

Right to life, liberty, security not addressed in observable content. ND.

ND
Article 4 No Slavery

Slavery and servitude not addressed. ND.

ND
Article 5 No Torture

Torture and cruel treatment not addressed. ND.

ND
Article 6 Legal Personhood

Right to recognition as person not addressed. ND.

ND
Article 7 Equality Before Law

Equality before law not addressed in observable content. ND.

ND
Article 8 Right to Remedy

Right to remedy not addressed. ND.

ND
Article 9 No Arbitrary Detention

Arbitrary arrest and detention not addressed. ND.

ND
Article 10 Fair Hearing

Fair trial not addressed in observable content. ND.

ND
Article 11 Presumption of Innocence

Presumption of innocence not addressed. ND.

-0.25
Article 12 Privacy
Medium P: Google Analytics tracking present without explicit opt-in consent visible P: Usage logger embedded (DOI tracking) for article analytics
Editorial
-0.10
Structural
-0.15
SETL
+0.09
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Privacy protections not explicitly observable on page. Tracking infrastructure (gtag, usage-logger) represents structural privacy intrusion. Combined with access restrictions, creates mild-to-moderate negative signal on privacy protections.

ND
Article 13 Freedom of Movement

Freedom of movement not addressed. ND.

ND
Article 14 Asylum

Right to asylum not addressed. ND.

ND
Article 15 Nationality

Right to nationality not addressed. ND.

ND
Article 16 Marriage & Family

Marriage and family rights not addressed. ND.

ND
Article 17 Property

Property rights not addressed. ND.

ND
Article 18 Freedom of Thought

Freedom of thought, conscience, religion not addressed in observable content. ND.

+0.52
Article 19 Freedom of Expression
High F: Opinion section explicitly labeled; editorial format enables expression C: CACM peer-reviewed publication platform supports freedom of thought and expression P: Digital accessibility features enable broader voice participation
Editorial
+0.50
Structural
+0.30
SETL
+0.32
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Opinion piece format directly instantiates Article 19 protections for freedom of expression. Publication in peer-reviewed venue provides editorial legitimacy and freedom assurances. Structure enables both author expression and reader information access.

+0.25
Article 20 Assembly & Association
Low P: Comment/discussion features (implied by article structure) enable peaceful assembly and association online
Editorial
ND
Structural
+0.20
SETL
ND
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

No explicit assembly/association content visible, but comment infrastructure implied supports Article 20. Mild positive for structural enablement of association.

ND
Article 21 Political Participation

Political participation not addressed. ND.

ND
Article 22 Social Security

Social security and cultural rights not addressed in observable content. ND.

+0.13
Article 23 Work & Equal Pay
Low F: Opinion piece byline (implied author attribution) reflects professional labor recognition
Editorial
+0.10
Structural
+0.05
SETL
+0.07
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Article header structure implies author attribution and professional authorship recognition, mildly supporting Article 23 work recognition principles. No explicit content on labor rights.

ND
Article 24 Rest & Leisure

Right to rest and leisure not addressed. ND.

ND
Article 25 Standard of Living

Right to adequate standard of living not addressed. ND.

+0.24
Article 26 Education
Medium F: Academic publication venue supports right to education and professional development P: Subscription/paywall structure creates friction to education access P: Accessibility features support inclusive education participation
Editorial
+0.30
Structural
+0.15
SETL
+0.21
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

CACM publication model supports education and knowledge dissemination (positive), but paywall restrictions limit free access (negative). Accessibility features enable education equity (positive). Net mild positive signal.

+0.23
Article 27 Cultural Participation
Medium F: Opinion content on professional ethics (Knuth) contributes to cultural and scientific discourse P: Peer review and editorial standards support quality participation in scientific culture
Editorial
+0.20
Structural
+0.15
SETL
+0.10
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Professional publication platform enables participation in scientific culture. Paywall structure creates minor negative friction. Editorial standards and peer review support cultural participation quality.

+0.18
Article 28 Social & International Order
Low F: CACM editorial standards imply commitment to just and peaceful computing order P: Professional governance structure through ACM provides social order framework
Editorial
+0.15
Structural
+0.10
SETL
+0.09
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Non-profit professional organization structure provides mild signal of commitment to fair social order. No explicit content on Article 28 social/international order.

+0.33
Article 29 Duties to Community
Medium F: Opinion format reflects community duties and discourse responsibilities C: CACM provides venue for computing professionals to discuss ethical responsibilities P: Editorial standards enforce content responsibility and community service obligations
Editorial
+0.25
Structural
+0.20
SETL
+0.11
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Professional publication explicitly designed for computing community responsibility discourse. Knuth column addresses professional duties. Peer review and editorial standards instantiate Article 29 community duty framework.

+0.08
Article 30 No Destruction of Rights
Low F: UDHR protections not subject to limitation except in legitimate computing governance contexts
Editorial
+0.10
Structural
+0.05
SETL
+0.07
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

No explicit content addressing Article 30 limitations clause. Peer review and editorial standards imply legitimate limitations on expression (mild positive). ND towards null.

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